(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of fluid dispensers. In particular, the invention is directed to a fluid dispenser having a child resistant locking closure which prevents fluid from being dispensed through the dispenser without first disengaging the closure lock. The locking closure is child resistant in that two distinct motions in different directions are required in order to disengage the closure lock so that the fluid may be dispensed. In the preferred embodiment, the locking closure is integrally formed as part of a nozzle assembly.
(2) Description of the Related Art
There are numerous prior art patents directed to child resistant locking features used in fluid dispensers of the general type to which this invention relates. Generally a fluid dispenser of the type involved in the present invention is a relatively low-cost, hand-held trigger sprayer which may be operated by pulling a trigger to pump liquid from a container attached to the sprayer through a nozzle orifice at the front of the sprayer. Fluid dispensers of this type have a variety of features which have become well-known in the industry. For example, the dispenser may have a dedicated spray nozzle which produces a fixed spray pattern such as a narrow stream or a fine mist. Alternately, the fluid dispenser may be of the type which has a variable spray pattern. Still other fluid dispensers permit a foaming liquid to be dispensed as either a foam or a liquid spray. The child resistant nozzle of the present invention is equally well-suited for use in each of these types of fluid dispensers, as well as, virtually any other type of fluid dispenser.
Regardless of the type of fluid dispenser used, the fluids dispensed are frequently chemicals which are harmful or fatal if swallowed. Further, the chemicals are sometimes caustic and thus are harmful to individuals if they come in contact with the skin for any appreciable length of time. These harmful effects are frequently more pronounced in children because of their relatively small size and sensitive tissues. In addition, because children may not be able to read or understand textual or graphical warnings printed on the containers, they may not be able to appreciate the danger associated with the chemicals and thus have an increased risk of coming in contact with and being injured by these chemicals.
Although children may be more susceptible to being injured by chemicals dispensed from trigger sprayers, they are easier to protect from the harmful effects of the chemicals by physically locking the containers. Children may be prevented from accessing chemicals contained in a trigger sprayer by incorporating a locking closure on the trigger sprayer. Experience has shown that simply by requiring that two independent movements in different directions be performed in order to open a container, a significant number of children may be prevented from completing the tasks and others may be inhibited from completing the tasks for a sufficient length of time so that an adult may be alerted to the potentially harmful acts of the child and take appropriate action.
In the past, various types of locking closures have been developed to impede children from coming into contact with potentially harmful chemicals dispensed through fluid dispensers. Most of these locking closures require two different motions to open the closure and enable the fluid dispenser to dispense fluid. For instance, the child resistant nozzle assemblies disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,614 of Reeve and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,561 of McKinney have rotating nozzle caps as are well-known in the art. These nozzle caps may be rotated between open and closed positions wherein the fluid is permitted and inhibited from being dispensed, respectively. However, the nozzle caps of the aforementioned references include slots and the housings include cantilevered lugs. The lugs align with and engage the slots when the caps are in the closed position to prevent the caps from being opened without first disengaging the lugs from the slots. Thus, to open these nozzle caps and permit dispensing of liquid through the nozzles, the lugs must be deflected upward or downward as the case may be to disengage the lugs from the slots. While the lug is disengaged from the slot, the nozzle must simultaneously be rotated to open the nozzle to permit the liquid to be dispensed. This motion generally requires two hands to perform. One hand disengages the lug while the other hand rotates the cap. Therefore, if the user is holding an article in one hand, such as a scrub brush or paper towel for use with a cleaning product being dispensed from the fluid dispenser, then this motion is difficult unless the user first sets the article down before attempting to open the child resistant nozzle cap.
Another child resistant fluid dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,049 of Knickerbocker. This reference discloses a latch which is pivotally connected to a trigger. The trigger is connected to the housing for pivoting movement in actuating a pump to dispense a liquid from the dispenser. When in the "on" position, the latch prevents the trigger from pivoting. However, the latch is flexible and may be deflected from the "on" position so that the latch does not interfere with pivoting the trigger. Thus, when the latch is deflected to the "off" position, the trigger may be actuated and the fluid may be dispensed from the fluid dispenser. Therefore, the user must use one motion to deflect the latch upward or downward and a second motion to actuate the trigger backward and forward in order to dispense liquid. However, these two motions may be accomplished with one hand. By grasping the fluid dispenser in one hand, the latch may be disengaged with the index finger while the trigger is actuated with the remaining three fingers of the hand. Therefore, with a simple grasping motion, the latch may be disengaged and the fluid may be dispensed. However, the simplicity of disengaging the latch detracts from the underlying purpose of preventing children from accessing the contents of the fluid dispenser.
Still another type of child resistant feature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,821 of Wesner et al. which shows a fluid dispenser having a door with an aperture through it. The door slides relative to the nozzle orifice of the dispenser to alternately align and misalign the aperture with the nozzle orifice to alternatively permit and prevent dispensing liquid, respectfully. The door also includes a deflectable latch which engages against the housing when the door is in the closed position to prevent the door from being moved to the open position. To open the door, the user must deflect the latch forward and simultaneously slide the door upward to the open position to permit liquid to be dispensed from the fluid dispenser. However, the child resistant feature of the Wesner reference may be easily opened with one hand by pulling the latch forward and then upward, detracting from the purpose of preventing children from accessing the contents of the fluid dispenser.
Thus, each of the previously described fluid dispensers includes a child resistant locking feature which requires two motions in order to dispense fluid through the fluid dispenser. However, with some of these prior art locking features, the motion is simple and may be opened unintentionally or without much effort. Further, as a child becomes more familiar with a particular type of child resistant locking closure, he or she may discover how to unlock the closure and dispense fluid. Thus, there is a reoccurring need for new and unique child resistant locking closures which require different motions to open the closure and operate the fluid dispenser.